Fine Motor Development Growth Curves for Down Syndrome

This study seeks to develop fine motor development growth curves for children with Down syndrome, specifically related to grasping and visual motor integration skills. A cross-sectional retrospective chart review was completed on a large cohort of children with Down syndrome from birth to 6 years of age who completed the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales–2nd Edition (PDMS-2). Although both fine motor and visual motor development were delayed in children with Down syndrome compared with typically developing peers, and a negative association between fine motor quotient and age was observed, grasping and visual motor integration raw scores increased with age. The Down syndrome–specific percentile curves developed here may enable providers to identify individuals requiring further investigation, and will be useful in future studies of factors that may influence fine motor development in Down syndrome. These data will also help parents better understand their children's development and interpret developmental test results.